found this on the forums.. appears to be an all data procedure.

1) so go ahead drain the radiator,

then (copy paste)

2) "Before filling, turn on ignition.

3(Set blower to low level.

4) Seat heating controller to maximum temperature. (This ensures that the heater valves are fully opened and the auxiliary water pump starts up.)
*Important: The auxiliary water pump must deliver coolant in order to ensure fully venting!
Installation:
Use only recommended coolant. Check cooling system for leaks.

5) Perform filling operation slowly. Pour coolant into coolant expansion tank up to MAX mark.

6) Start engine and run at idle speed for approx. one minute (cap open). Then adjust coolant level to MAX.

7) Close cap and run engine up to operating temperature until main thermostat opens. Check cooling circuit and drain plug for leaks."

there is a step to remove a drain in the block.. is this necessary?
im assuming keep the fan on low and the temp on high during this whole process..?

kyleB- i think i found some of my answers..

sorry for all the questions, i just need to fully understand procedure and have a set of clear steps to follow before i do anything on this car.. its my baby haha

 

Ahh, thank you! i will def refer to this post while attempting this! thankss
hahaha, i agree! Pcy has been a huge help thus far through this! i too owe you a steak dinner lol Thanks for the clarification!

 

you can drain the block if you want to I suppose, but seeing as how you're removing the water pump, a lot of the coolant that is stored in the block is going to come out of that opening. I didn't bother with draining the block when I did mine about 6 months ago.

 

need some help!
found out my tensioner is actually a hydraulic...
i removed it, ended up taking off the bracket behind it to see if the mechanical one woudl fit, and it seems the pulley lines up but there is a gap at the top mounting point.

i have a brand new mechanical tensioner.. should i bite the bullet and go get the hydraulic tensioner from bmw tomorrow?
help!

thanks!
-Bill

 

Just get the pulley. The tensioner, unless leaking, should still be OK. The pulley is the part that typically wears out.

 

just did this! luckily for me, pelican parts is taking back the mech tensioner for full credit and i overnighted a new tensioner and pulley..

hopefully should have this finished up in a another day or so when parts arrive.

i noticed the fan removal was a little different, only one ear folded in vs the two. literally nothing was holding it in place except that folding ear..
removed the hoses from the clamps and this thing came out in a few minutes after figuring it out.
I also removed 6-8 inches of packed down leaves and deris from in front of the radiator..

i think next diy will be along the lines of a valve cover gasket.
thanks so far for everyone helping my "stoopid" self through this!

 

correct, only the driver's side ear folds in. The other side is fixed. make sure that the fan not only slid in place where the 'ears' are, but also the two slots on either side of the radiator at the bottom (if you have the lower belly pan removed, you'll see the slots im talking about)

glad you were able to get this done.

cheers.